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Parkinson's disease is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Brundin and colleagues discuss how recent reports on the outcome of neuronal grafts carried out in patients with Parkinson's disease might shed light on the disease's progression.
Since their discovery as factors that were upregulated by psychostimulant drugs, CART peptides have emerged as major neurotransmitters and hormones. Here, Kuhar and colleagues provide an overview of the various effects of CART peptides.
Aging is a major risk factor for the development of human neurodegenerative diseases. Here, Cohen and Dillin discuss the roles of insulin/IGF1 signalling in toxic protein aggregation and the links between this pathway and the emergence of late-onset neurodegenerative disease.
Studies of the genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease have yielded a bewildering array of candidate genes. Bertram and Tanzi describe the results of ongoing systematic meta-analyses of these studies and discuss how some of the risk factors identified might contribute to disease pathology.
High-content analysis (HCA), the combination of automated microscopy and automated image analysis, has the potential to be a powerful tool for neuroscience research. Mike Dragunow outlines the factors to consider when adopting HCA in an academic setting, and the benefits that researchers can expect.
Cognitive therapy and antidepressant medication are both effective treatments for depression. Derubeis and colleagues propose common and divergent neural changes that might underlie the antidepressant effects of both types of treatment and that could explain the enduring, relapse-preventing effects of cognitive therapy. An interview with Rob DeRubeis for Neuropod is available for download.
